Youth Homelessness & Mental Health

When someone doesn’t have a secure home that they feel safe in, they are considered homeless. There are a number of reasons someone becomes homeless, many of which are out of their control.

Shelter estimates there are 274,000 homeless people in the UK. Unfortunately, homelessness is a major local issue in Sussex and young people are at a particularly high risk of homelessness.

Not all people that are homeless are 'rough sleeping' (sleeping on the street). These people with instable living situations are sometimes referred to as the 'hidden homeless'.

Some young people affected by homelessness find that their situation can impact their mental health.

Read on to learn more about why youth homelessness can happen.

People can still be homeless even if they currently have a roof over their head. Many will experience unstable living situations and be without adequate protection in their current place of home (for example, a tenancy agreement). Being homeless doesn’t mean that the person affected has done something to deserve it; everyone has the right to a safe place to live.

Read on to learn more about how 'hidden homelessness' can be experienced.

If you are faced with homelessness, there is lots of help available to give you advice and support. If you can, it’s important to seek help as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made to support you.

If you, or someone else, is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E and someone will help you.

YMCA DownsLink Group works with local councils, social services, and other statutory or voluntary agencies, to prevent youth homelessness across Sussex and Surrey. 

Our Youth Advice Centres (YAC for short!) in Brighton and Crawley provide a safe space for young people, and offer a wide range of advice and support based on their needs. Watch this video to hear from other young people who have experienced homelessness, and how they found the right support for them.

In the previous section, we explored how a young person’s mental health can be affected by homelessness. We all experience things in different ways, and this also includes the reasons why a person may become homeless.

While these are just a few examples, some factors that can lead to youth homelessness are family or relationship breakdown, money issues, seeking asylum, leaving care, school exclusion, and mental health difficulties.

Read on to learn more about how these situations may be experienced, then scroll down to find advice and support.

Many of us can struggle with our finances, particularly from issues like losing a job, the increased cost of living, and the impact of COVID-19. This in turn can affect our living situation, as paying for accommodation becomes more difficult. Experiencing uncertainty about money can feel overwhelming, and can impact a young person’s mental wellbeing.

If you are struggling with money and you’re not sure what to do, there are lots of places that can help.

Scroll down to find out more!

'Asylum seekers’ or ‘refugees’ are people that have left the country they were living in to escape harm (for example, due to war, poverty, racism, or religious or political persecution) and have entered another country in the hope of being able to live there. 

Being an asylum seeker can be very difficult, as the process to find out if you’re able to live in a country can take a long time. During the application process, people seeking asylum are often not eligible for much financial or housing support, and normally aren’t allowed to work. This puts asylum seekers, especially young people, at a high risk of homelessness.

If you are a young refugee in Sussex, you can find support from The Hummingbird Project through their Global Social Club, Learning Space, and 1-1 support.

You can also find help from Voices in Exile, who offer support through their Advice Lines, peer-support groups, and food bank.

Sometimes a young person’s mental health difficulties can lead them to homelessness. For example, many of us can struggle with anxiety or low mood, while others may experience mental health conditions such as bipolar or depression.

If a young person is struggling with their mental health and doesn’t get the help they need, this can have an impact on their wellbeing. It could lead to things such as substance misuse, getting involved in gang crime, or other risky behaviour, which could put the young person at risk of becoming homeless.

Scroll down for where to find mental health advice and support.

A few years ago, Jack was struggling with his mental health, which led to substance misuse and intermittent homelessness. However, once he reached out for support from YMCA DownsLink Group, he was able to find the help he needed to move forward with his life.

Watch this video to hear Jack's story about his experience of youth homelessness and mental health.